Actinic keratosis is a pre-cancerous form of hyperkaratosis that is known to be caused by frequent or extreme exposure of the skin to sunlight. The condition typically presents as small, rough patches of skin approximately 2 mm to 7 mm in diameter. The patches are usually reddish in color, with rough texture and whitish or yellow scales. Actinic keratosis is frequently painful, and may develop to a malignant condition without treatment and upon continued exposure to the sun.
Actinic keratosis is most commonly treated topically, with creams such as photodynamic creams, imiquimod, diclofenac, Ag3derm or 5-fluorouracil. Alternatively, the condition may be treated by cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen. When these methods fail, the keratosis may be excised surgically, or treated by laser therapy.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer and accounts for more than 90% of all skin cancer in the U.S. These cancers almost never spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body, although they can cause damage by growing and invading surrounding tissue.
Basal cell carcinomas usually present initially as a small, dome-shaped bump. The bump may be covered by small, superficial blood vessels that cause the spot to appear shiny and translucent, sometimes looking “pearly.” Some basal cell carcinomas contain melanin pigment, making them look dark rather than shiny.
Basal cell carcinoma may be treated by curettage and desiccation, which typically involves scooping out the basal cell carcinoma with a spoon like curette. Desiccation is the additional application of an electric current to control bleeding and kill the remaining cancer cells.
Other treatments for basal cell carcinoma include surgical excision and radiation therapy. Cryosurgery may be used, typically using liquid nitrogen to freeze and kill the abnormal cells.
None of the prior art treatments for actinic keratosis and/or basal cell carcinoma has proven to be effective for all patients, and some are extremely expensive and/or highly invasive. A need therefore exists for improved compositions and method for treating actinic keratosis and/or basal cell carcinoma. The present invention addresses that need.